By JUDD WEIL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Based in Hutchinson, the TECH organization provides services and programs to help adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Reno County to live the fullest lives possible.
TECH has been serving Reno County for almost 50 years.
The organization was started as a work opportunity agency by a group of parents that wanted to give the same opportunities everyone else had to succeed to their children with disabilities as they were about to graduate high school.
By listening to the community, TECH grew to include day services programs, and even residential houses.
“We actually celebrate our fiftieth anniversary next year,” Lacey Mills, TECH Director of Marketing and Foundation Development, said.
According to Mills, the TECH organization employs over 100 people, and serves around 225 adults in Hutchinson and Reno County.
“It’s a pretty large operation,” Mills said.
There are a couple of options for people and families served by TECH.
One is participating in day services, with either the ALS program or the TECH work program.
The TECH Art Gallery, located at 10 E. 1st Ave., is part of the ALS program.
“TECH opened the TECH Art Gallery, when we moved into the Wiley Building, which happened in 2018”, Mills said. “We had had our TECH art program happening over at the ALS, in the art studio for a couple of years, and there was all of this wonderful, fabulous work that our artist were doing but we didn’t really have a place to be able to sell it to the public.”
Mills explained the vision of TECH’s CEO at the time, was to provide a community place where their artists would be appreciated and supported, and where people can see and buy their art.
All proceeds from art sales benefit TECH artists.
Another option, is the TECH work program, at their facility located at 3000 E. Ave. B.
“Individuals that work at the work center, they earn a paycheck,” Mills said. “We have contracts with local companies here in town, and we do just oddball jobs, things that you would never even think of.
“We work on stuff for Hubco, Shield Ag., Pipeline Consortium.”
TECH also offers residential housing. They currently have nine residential homes throughout Reno County.
“We also have independent living,” Mills said. “If somebody is a little bit more independent and they want that ability to come and go on their own but still need a little help, we have apartments or the Link.”
While TECH works exclusively in Reno County, they are part of a Kansas coalition called InterHab.
Based in Topeka, InterHab provides services to intellectually and developmentally disabled Kansans and has done so for over 50 years.
“That’s the other thing, I think people don’t understand about TECH,” Mill said. “We not only provide services, but we work really hard to advocate for people with disabilities at a state and at a national level, through our CEO participating in things, but also InterHab advocating on behalf of people with disabilities here in Reno County and in Kansas.”
In the past year, TECH had one of the largest increases in Kansas history for reimbursement for their over 20-year effort in advocating for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
People can get involved in TECH by participating in events, like their upcoming Holiday Open House at the TECH Art Gallery.
TECH, a nonprofit, also accepts donations, and is always looking for volunteers.
“If you go to our website, there’s a give now button, and you can look at the different ways that you can support our agency based on what your interests are,” Mills said. “It changes throughout the year, based on what we have going on or what our needs are.
“We’re actually getting ready to initiate an Amazon wish list. We had one of our parents say, “have you ever thought of doing this,” and we just haven’t, so we’re getting ready to put one of those up.”
TECH is also trying to get the word out about their TECH Foundation.
“That’s in place to help us preserve what we have going on now for the future,” Mills said. “So, we have people who may be in their end of life and are looking for ways to give back to their community and leave a legacy. The Foundation is a great way to do that.”
More information about the TECH Art Gallery, the TECH work program, and other TECH services, can be found at the TECH website.
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